Reestablishing Bonds
by Ninja-Consultant
Summary: After the events of Future Sins, Superboy and Match find themselves trying to rebuild their damaged relationships with others while continuing to grow. A five part story. Completed
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Reestablishing Bonds, chapter 1

Conner woke up, feeling relaxed. The school year was finally over. That didn't mean that he was free of responsibilities though; the Kents were going to have him help out at the store. He saw an envelope on Max's cot. He picked it up and opened it.

'I'm going to be gone for a little while. – Max'

Conner brought the letter down to show the Kents. He expected this, but he was starting to miss Max already.

* * *

Match landed on a small island off the coast of Australia. He had checked on the schedule of all the surveillance satellites and made his way here when there weren't any to track his movements. He expected that Superman, among others, would not accept his desire for solitude and try to find him. 

Even though it was winter in the southern hemisphere, the island was still temperate. The Contessa had set up a safe house here that no one else knew about. Match had decided that he was going to restore it and have a place to get away from everything.

He spent a few hours getting the generator working. Then, he checked all the equipment in the house and cleaned everything. There were a few food supplies left that were still good, and when he was hungry, he ate some of those.

He washed himself and then slept, tired from all the activity.

* * *

As Conner though, Clark didn't take Max's disappearance well. He checked with the JLA to see if they could track him. They couldn't. From comments that Clark made, this seemed to really irritate Batman and Oracle. 

Conner took Max's disappearance in stride. He was confident that Max would return when he was ready. In the meantime, Conner was enjoying having a room to himself. He didn't mind sharing the room, but it was nice to not have Max automatically put away anything that Conner left on his desk or on the floor.

Conner wondered what Max was doing and smiled. He bet that it involved some sort of cleaning.

* * *

Max was fixing the room, not believing how damaged it was. Fortunately, the Contessa didn't want anyone to have to come to the island and had stocked extra shingles. He could have done everything telekinetically, but he enjoyed doing things by hand. Wanting to keep his small supply of clothes clean and being unconcerned with modesty, he was working in his boxer shorts. 

Conner always said I needed more sun, he thought.

He forced himself to put Conner out of his mind. The one thing he missed was his brother. From a strictly logical viewpoint, he knew that it could be a weakness that was exploitable. However, he also knew that he was emotionally quite fragile when not involved in an operation.

Max sighed. He was two different people, and he wondered whether that would cause a problem. Others seemed to manage it well; he could only hope that he'd learn to do so.

* * *

Conner was politely smiling, but he was bored. He was manning the counter and listening to a woman go on about how well her son was doing in Wichita. Stimulating conversation, it was not. 

He murmured the polite responses and rang her up for her purchase. When she left the store, he permitted himself a small sigh. The Kents would have lectured him on that, but Jonathon was called away for help with a farming issue and Martha was at home baking goods to bring in. When Conner had worked in the store before, they usually had him moving inventory or setting up displays. This time, there wasn't anyone else to work the counter, so he was doing it.

It wasn't that he disliked people, he thought. It was just that his concerns and interests were pretty far removed from those of most people's in Smallville. Sometimes it was nice to have things slow to a crawl, and sometimes it was maddening.

* * *

With the house restored, Max began work on reestablishing the computer network. It took him a few hours to get the system functional and update it. It took a couple hours beyond that to configure it to his preferences and create programs that automatically scanned world events to bring the important ones to his attention. 

Max permitted himself a small smile. He didn't have a great information network yet, but he had a base to work from. He took Rhine's task seriously; he would help look after the world.

* * *

Superboy brought his fist down on the H.I.V.E. armored vehicle, smashing it open. It felt good to unwind with the Titans. 

He half-turned and used his heat vision against a H.I.V.E. soldier's weapon, causing it to melt.

Kon had gotten over most of his guilt at hurting the Titans. He didn't forget what he did, but he realized that it wasn't something he had any control over. He had known that before, but he had finally accepted it.

Robin shouted, "Superboy, get their left flank! It looks like they're getting out some heavy artillery!"

"I'm on it!" Kon shouted as he charged.

* * *

Max swam in the ocean. The water was chilly, but it didn't bother him. He had taken to swimming for his exercise on the account of not having a good running path. He appreciated the change. 

He enjoyed the privacy that the Contessa's island granted him. It was in a blind spot of the global network of surveillance satellites, and no planes flew overhead unless they were redirected due to weather. He wouldn't want to stay without contact forever, but, for a time, it was fine. He had considered hiding here when the Groups were looking for him, but it would have taken him longer to get to, and it was unlikely he could have made it without being detected. For this trip, he had carefully studied the schedules and orbits of satellites to travel at a time that would allow him to go undetected. He had his return to the Kents planned out already.

* * *

Conner was enjoying himself. The Titans were working with the JSA to do a joint operation. It wasn't that the JSA needed the help; it was felt that after recent events, it would be good for the two teams to develop some familiarity and bonds with each other. 

Captain Marvel had power on the level of Superman, but had a distinctly different personality and attitude. He and Superboy chatted while waiting to do their part, and sometimes Kon felt like he was talking to a kid.

They stopped talking when they received the signal.

"Let's do it!" Kon said as he took off.

* * *

Max sat calmly in the room as he processed what was happening on nine different monitors. His attempt to create a program to analyze things had been unsatisfactory; it only had a ninety percent success rate. It was good for backup, but not a primary source to predict crisis situations. 

Every time Max had found a likely situation that would require action, he dispatched a tip under a pseudonym with the information attached. Not all of his tips were followed up on, but he was slowly gaining a reputation as a good source. This had the side-effect of organizations trying to trace his location. Fortunately, they didn't have anybody as skilled as him trying.

* * *

Kon tried to keep a straight face as Robin ranted on about how difficult it was to trace this mysterious informant who occasionally gave the Titans leads. He couldn't recall Robin getting so worked up about anything. 

"Do you think this is funny?" Robin demanded.

"No, you're completely right! We must track down this good samaritan and make him stop! He's clearly someone who should be locked up!"

"Now I know you're making fun of me," Robin said crossly.

"You're getting so worked up over someone who's helping us."

"What if this guy is using us to eliminate his rivals? He could be feeding us good information now to trick us later!"

"Don't you think you're being a bit paranoid? Not everyone is our enemy or out to manipulate us for nefarious purposes. It could be that this source is providing us information because it's not in the position to do anything about it, or not as thoroughly as us."

"Aren't you supposed to be the guy who hits things really hard? Stop being so reasonable and making well-thought arguments!"

Robin gave him a smile to let him know that he was joking. Kon grinned back at him.

* * *

Max manipulated the accounts and made the transfer. One of the very useful things about the internet was that when you had the correct password and account number, no one questioned your identity. He moved money from some of the Contessa's secret accounts to ones that he could access more easily. He could live a modest lifestyle with the Kents quite easily, but money made getting equipment and buying information so much easier. 

He arranged for some purchases to be sent to drop boxes that he could retrieve later. He didn't want to return to the Kents without bringing gifts. It was only proper.

* * *

Conner woke up and blinked a few times. His eyes flickered over to his alarm clock. He groaned; he woke up before his alarm was set to go off. Something felt...different this morning. 

He heard movement in the kitchen. He got up and went down. Since he was up already, he figured he might as well eat breakfast. He stopped abruptly when he got to the kitchen.

Max was there, preparing breakfast.

Conner felt himself smiling. He had missed his brother more than he had acknowledged. He was happy, very happy, to have him back.

"You're back," he said quietly.

"I am," Max replied. "I missed you."

"I did too."

"I brought you a gift," Max said, pointing out a box.

Conner went and opened it. "It's a black leather motorcycle jacket!"

"There's no S-shield on it, so you can wear it regularly."

"I really missed my old one. Thank you!"

Max smiled. "I'm glad you like it."

Conner looked at Max. "You got really tan. It looks good on you."

"Thank you."

There was a pause.

"I'm glad you're back," Conner said.

"I'm glad to be here," Max replied, smiling.

------

It's been a while since my last one; this one took a little longer to get written than I thought it would.

Any comments welcome!


	2. The Training Session

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Reestablishing Bonds, chapter 2

About a week after Max had returned, he said, "I'd like to take Conner out of Smallville for a week and give him some intensive training on how to better use his powers."

"Is there a reason you boys can't do that here?" Martha asked.

"There are too many distractions and too many people here," Max replied.

"I never thought I'd hear someone say there are too many people in Smallville," Conner said.

"There will probably be some very visible demonstrations of our powers," Max said. "I think that if anyone here saw us, it'd be more dangerous than where I want to go."

"Where's that?" Jonathan asked.

"The Rockies," Max said. "We can carry a phone or something for you to get in contact with us in case of an emergency."

"Why can't Clark do this?" Martha asked.

"Clark doesn't have telekinesis," Max said. "He's also never available to do it; something would always call him away."

"He's got a point, Martha," Jonathan said. "Clark is really busy."

"I don't know," Martha hedged. "I guess I'm worried that the two of you might get hurt."

"I took care of myself for several weeks just recently," Max pointed out.

"I also lived on my own for months before moving here," Conner said. "It was events that happened to me that were the reason I came here, not because I had difficulties living on my own."

"I think you boys will be fine," Jonathan said, clapping them both on the shoulder. "Martha, it's what they've got to do."

"I want you both to promise me that you'll call for help if you need it," Martha said.

"We will," Max promised.

* * *

Conner shifted the backpack he was carrying. It wasn't heavy, but it was full. Max was carrying a similarly full backpack. 

"Good thing they had all this camping gear in storage, huh?" Conner said. "It was a bit dusty, but it was pretty easy to clean."

"There was a good amount of gear that I was unaware that the Kents had," Max said. "I suppose that Clark used it when he grew up."

"I didn't want to say this in front of the Kents, but you seem a lot more relaxed than before you left."

"In part, it's because I was able to take care of a few things that had been on my mind. However, there's a larger issue that I'm not worried about any more."

"What's that?"

"I'm not concerned about having Clark's approval."

"I...didn't know you were."

Max nodded. "I sought his acceptance. He had shown that he trusted me with some of his biggest secrets, and I wanted desperately to prove myself worthy of that trust. I'd still like his approval, but if I can lose it through no fault of my own, I'm not going to obsess over it."

"How come you don't obsess over my approval?" Conner joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"I do," Max responded. "You're the person that I'm closest to. If something were to happen to you...I don't know what I'd do."

"I'm not sure what I'd do if something happened to you. You're probably the person who best understands me."

* * *

The two flew to the Rockies and set up camp in a secluded area. 

"What now?" Conner asked.

"We're going to work on your concentration," Max said. "Follow me."

Max led Conner to a waterfall. He then took off his clothes and waded into the water.

Conner looked skeptical. "You're not serious, are you? Meditating under a waterfall?"

"Your body will be numb, so you'll be able to better concentrate."

With a sigh, Conner removed his clothes and entered the water. It was cold.

"You really turned evil while you were gone and are trying to kill me with pneumonia, aren't you?" he accused.

"You'll be fine."

Conner and Max sat under the waterfall. Conner's teeth started chattering.

Max indicated a rock that was about three feet away from the edge of the water. "I want you to reach out with your power and move that rock."

"I can't do that," Conner protested. "My powers don't work that way. I have tactile telekinesis. I have to touch the object."

The rock floated off the ground before landing in the spot it originally rested.

"I can do it," Max pointed out. "We have the same powers. You can do it, you just don't know how. Yet."

"So, how do I do it?"

"Concentrate on the rock and see it move in your mind."

Conner thought about it. "It's not working."

"You're not concentrating hard enough."

"I'm naked and freezing under a waterfall. It's not easy to concentrate."

"Don't think about that. It's distracting you. Concentrate on the rock."

"I am. It's still not moving."

"Start over. Don't think about me being here. Don't think about your body. Focus only on the rock and it moving."

Conner bit back a rude remark and focused on the rock.

Conner lost track of time as he kept focusing on the rock. He became familiar with every piece of it, every scratch on its surface. He knew every detail about that rock. Still, it didn't move. Conner had focused so intently on the rock that he no longer paid any attention to the waterfall.

Conner hated that rock. It wouldn't move. He wanted to blast it with his heat vision, but that would be letting the rock win. He focused all his anger on the rock, trying to move it.

The rock remained still.

Conner's shoulders slumped. He felt drained. He mentally commanded the rock to move one last time, no longer angry at the rock or skeptical about his ability to do so. He just wanted it to move.

The rock twitched.

Conner's eyes widened. He commanded the rock to float. It did so. He had it move in the air, slowly at first, but gradually getting faster and faster.

He set it down on the ground and turned to Max, a beaming smile on his face. Max looked proud of Conner's achievement.

"Congratulations," he said. "You did it."

"All of a sudden, it was like this," Conner said, snapping his fingers (or trying to since they were wet). "I didn't think it would be like that."

"Now, move me," Max said.

Conner concentrated, and Max gently floated out of the water. He was trying to be careful and move him around too jerkily. Conner deposited Max back in the water.

"I did it!" Conner exclaimed with a smile.

"You did," Max said, returning his smile.

"Can I get out of the water now? It's freezing!"

Max nodded. "We can go back to camp."

The two dried off, got dressed, and headed back to camp.

"So, what's next?" Conner asked.

"For today, we're going to get a feel for the area by hiking around. I know what's on the maps for this area, but I think it's best if we see it with our own eyes."

Conner gave him a look. "You didn't think I'd managed it as quickly as I did."

Max shrugged. "One hour forty-three minutes was a little faster than I thought you'd learn it."

"How long did you think it'd take me?"

"A little longer."

"You're being evasive."

"Yes."

"Are you going to tell me how long you thought it'd take me?"

"I'll tell you later."

Conner sighed melodramatically. "I trust that you'll confide in me some day."

* * *

The two hiked around the area, getting to know what it was like. Max pointed out several edible and poisonous plants. 

"I didn't know you knew so much about nature," Conner commented.

"I've had survival training since my creation," Max replied. "How do you think I managed to survive in the Alaskan base?"

"You're not telling me that you survived only on plants, right?"

"I did some hunting, though I supposed it might be more correctly called poaching. I was stronger and faster than the animals, so it was easy to obtain a source of meat. The tricky part was preparing it."

"You didn't eat it raw, did you?" Conner looked horrified.

"No, I didn't. I scavenged for flammable material and cooked it. However, it's very difficult to cook something evenly on a campfire. My first several attempts were barely edible."

"What's my next training task going to be?"

"Since you've meditated under a waterfall, I thought I'd move on to having you fight bears."

"You're not serious!"

Max cracked a smile. "I had you going there, didn't I?"

Conner gave Max an incredulous look and started laughing. "You really have changed. You wouldn't have dreamt of joking like this when you first moved in with me."

"Perhaps I have loosened up a bit."

* * *

The next day, Conner and Max hiked up a mountain. Max stopped on a relatively flat spot near the summit. 

"We've got some privacy here," he said. "I want you to sit down."

Conner sat while Max placed a few rocks and other objects around him in a circle.

"Let me guess," Conner said. "You want me to move multiple objects at the same time."

"Very good," Max said. "You probably want to start by just getting everything up in the air, but I think you should be able to get all these objects to circle you in different orbits."

Conner counted the objects. There were seven of them. He floated one rock, and then tried to get another to hover. The first rock dropped.

"You need to split your concentration," Max explained. "It's a little tricky at first."

Conner tried again. The same thing happened.

"Would you do it?" Conner asked. "Maybe I can get a sense of how to do it from your telekinetic field."

Max looked skeptical. "Can you perceive it?"

"Not entirely, but I have gotten a sense of things when you and that older version of me were suppressing each other's powers. I also caught you using that technique on me some evenings."

Max looked guilty. "I just wanted to see if I could do it."

"What about when you did it under combat conditions? I'd say that would have indicated you could do it."

"Okay, you're right. I was bored. Doing anything visible would have gotten me a lecture. I could have done something with my body's processes, but you get upset when I do that."

"I don't even know where to begin with what's wrong with that last statement. Anyway, go make things float, and I'll keep my eyes and mind open."

Max glanced at the items and, one by one, they hovered in the air and started spinning around him in different orbits.

"Do you have a sense for it?" he asked.

"I think I do," replied Conner. "Let me try."

The objects stopped spinning around and deposited themselves around Conner. He fixed his attention on them. One of them floated up. Another began to float up, and the other began to drop. After a few moments of bobbing up and down, both of them hovered. A smile of relief passed over Conner's face.

He tried to get a third rock to join them in the air, but the two that were already floating dropped. Conner frowned.

"Try starting with just two rocks," Max said. "I'll want you to handle all seven, but it may take some time."

Conner pushed aside his annoyance and concentrated on two rocks. When he was comfortable with that, he moved on to three.

By the end of the day, Conner could comfortably manage to move four objects at once and was unsteady with a fifth.

* * *

After they ate dinner and washed up, the two were lying in their tent. 

"This is harder than I thought," Conner said. "I'm sore."

"Sore mentally or physically?" Max asked.

"Physically. I think I might have accidentally had some feedback or something."

Max rolled Conner onto his stomach.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

"I'm going to give you a massage," Max explained as he started to rub his back. "Tell me where you're sore."

"A little lower...right there. Where'd you learn to give a massage?"

"The Agenda. Let's not talk about it. Your progress has been excellent."

"I haven't been able to move all seven objects yet."

"I didn't think you'd be able to do it in one day. You should consider this: one week ago, you couldn't use your telekinesis on an object unless you were touching it. Now you can move four different ones at a distance and have them move in different directions."

"How many can you move at the same time?"

"I don't know, I've never tried to continue moving objects until I reached my limit."

"You did a couple dozen in the Titan's Tower."

"Yes. I could probably do at least three times that if I wanted. However, if you keep this progress up, you're going to be near my skill level soon."

"That'll be good. Then we'll be on equal terms."

Max laughed. "Conner, don't be foolish."

Conner shifted to look at him and frowned. "What do you mean?"

Max returned to his side of the tent. "You're more powerful than me."

"What do you mean? We're equals!"

"Telekinesis is a psychic power. You put more feeling into it and can hit levels that I can't. I'm not wired that way."

"During the training with the JLA, you were consistently above me."

"I can consistently hit a high level, but I can't go beyond that. I couldn't disassemble every firearm in the greater Los Angeles area."

"You know about that?"

Max nodded. "The Groups had very complete files. I kept track of you."

"That's kind of creepy."

Max smiled apologetically. "I thought we might fight again."

"We did. We never finished it though. We were interrupted by cruise missiles."

"We should rest. Tomorrow is going to be busy."

* * *

Conner was able to move all seven objects by noon of the next day. 

"Now what?" he asked.

"I thought we'd take a break for lunch and then spar."

"We do that back home. I thought the idea was to do stuff that I couldn't do there."

"Exactly. That's why we'll spar with all our powers."

Conner pointed at the meat on a skewer he was eating. "What is this? It tastes kind of different."

Max replied, "It's chipmunk. I caught it while you were training."

Conner started coughing, and Max smiled.

"I'm joking," he said. "It's canned meat. It's loaded with so many preservatives that it tastes odd."

"You need to work on your sense of humor! That wasn't funny!"

"I'm sorry, I couldn't resist."

"For that, I'm going to kick your butt when we spar!"

Max smiled.

* * *

The two fought after lunch. Conner had to be relentless because Max always seemed to dodge out of the way of his blows. 

"Make controlled swings," Max commented as he dodged another punch. "You don't need to hit with your full strength all the time."

"Stop moving around!" Conner shouted.

"I don't think so. Are you ready for me?"

Conner barely got his guard up in time as Max unleashed a flurry of punches.

"That wasn't bad," Max commented. "It would have been better if you could have countered some of them rather than just blocking."

"Counter this!" Conner shouted as he charged Max.

As Conner closed on him, Max grabbed him and flipped him onto his back. Conner was surprised and got the wind knocked out of him. When he caught his breath, he saw Max's hand outstretched to help him up. He took it.

"Sorry about that," Max apologized. "I didn't mean to throw you with that much force."

"It's okay. I didn't want you to hold back. Looks like there's a difference in our skill levels, huh?"

"There is. You'll get better though."

* * *

The two continued sparring, and by the end of the week, Conner learned both new hand to hand moves and new applications of his powers. 

On their way home, the two spotted a trail of smoke in the sky. They dumped their backpacks and sped off to investigate. Two planes had collided and were losing altitude.

"You get that one!" Match shouted, pointing at the one that was higher. "I'll get the other one!"

Superboy nodded and got under the plane. He pushed up, leveling the plane out and began to take it down in a controlled descent. He looked over to see how Match was doing.

Match had a harder task. The second plane was falling at a steeper angle and at a faster rate. Match grimaced. He could stop the plane's descent, but it would hurt the passengers inside. He also didn't like the way the engine was smoking.

Fortunately for Match, the Denver airport was relatively close. He brought the nose of the plane up a bit and aimed for the runaway. He was under the nose of the plane and gritted his teeth in preparation for the impact.

The impact did hurt, but his telekinetic shield not only protected him, but it reduced the damage to the plane. The plane skidded to a halt, ripping up that section of the runaway. Match took a look at the plane's engine. It was on fire now.

He ripped the engine off and flew up. He wasn't going to let it explode at the airport. Superboy brought his plane down in time to see an explosion in the sky. He searched the sky, looking for any sign of his brother.

"Come on, that explosion can't have killed you," he muttered to himself. "You're tougher than that, Match."

In a few moments, a slightly singed Match landed. "I wouldn't want to do that again."

"I'm glad you're okay," Kon said smiling.

Max returned the smile. "We did well. Let's get out of here."

---------------

This chapter nearly ended up as its own story, but it couldn't really stand on its own.

The format of "Reestablishing Bonds" is similar to that of "Where Do We Go From Here?" in that it consists of self-contained, short stories.

Any and all comments welcome!


	3. All's Fair

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Reestablishing Bonds, chapter 3

Conner and Max were in their respective beds when Conner suddenly asked, "Is there anybody that you like?"

Max blinked in surprise. "What brought this on?"

"It's just something that popped in my head. No avoiding the question! Is there someone that you're attracted to?"

"There...there is someone. But it wouldn't work out."

"Why not?"

"It just wouldn't."

Conner thought of something. "Is this person not interested in boys?"

"This person is interested in boys."

There was a pause.

"Then what's the problem?" Conner asked.

Max sighed. "It wouldn't work out with her. Trust me."

"But..."

"Goodnight, Conner."

* * *

Kon took Max to the Titans that weekend. There, he tried to enlist others to find out why Max was certain a relationship between him and this unnamed girl wouldn't work. 

"He's probably too shy," Wonder Girl suggested. "If he's afraid to approach her, it can't work."

"That can't be the reason," Kon argued. "He's not the shy type."

"Match, why are you so certain that it wouldn't work out with this girl?" Robin asked. "You're going to continue getting questions until Kon's satisfied."

Match sighed and put aside the book he was reading. "He would pester me with questions until I gave in, wouldn't he?"

Sensing a momentary weakness, Kon answered, "Yes. Yes, I would."

"She's already going out with someone."

Kon paused. "You could take her away from this guy."

"Kon, that's terrible!" Wonder Girl exclaimed.

"All's fair in love and war," he retorted.

"I think he's good for her," Match explained. "She's also good for him. If I were to break them up just so I could get a chance at her, I'd feel guilty every time I saw either of them."

Raven shifted uncomfortably. The emotions swirling around made her tense.

"I just want you to be happy," a downbeat Kon said.

Match smiled. "I know, and thank you for that."

* * *

Later that day, Match was on the roof, staring out at the water. He heard someone else come on the roof. 

"Hello, Raven," he said without turning. "I've been expecting you."

"I sensed your turmoil," she replied. "I wished to offer you assurances of my silence."

"Thank you. The feelings will eventually recede, and I'll be attracted to someone else."

"Conner doesn't suspect it at all. None of them do."

"I didn't think that they did. Conner has an enormous capacity for forgiveness, but this would strain that."

Match continued. "I feel guilty enough about it as it is. Of all people, why did I have to be attracted to her? Is it some sort of genetic predisposition? She doesn't like me in the first place, and she's my brother's girlfriend. It's impossible on several levels."

---------

This one was just a very short and direct chapter as opposed to the very long previous chapter.

Any and all comments welcome!


	4. You Can't Choose Family

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Reestablishing Bonds, chapter 4

Max was mostly finished with his morning run when he saw her in the distance. He briefly entertained the idea of changing his course to avoid her, but she was waiting on the Kent's porch. Fortunately, it was early enough that the two of them were the only ones around; not even the farmers were out of bed yet.

He brought himself to a stop outside of the Kent's house. His time was on par with his previous runs.

"Hello, Match!" the girl said cheerfully. "Do you always get up so early?"

"I don't sleep much," he answered. "Shall we go inside, Supergirl?"

* * *

"How would you like your eggs, Supergirl?" he asked as he began to prepare breakfast. 

"Please call me Kara. What should I call you?"

"When not wearing my costume, I am Max."

"Er, that's it?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure? Conner's also Kon-El, don't you have a name like that?"

"No, I don't. How would you like your eggs?"

"However you're having them is fine."

Max put a couple more eggs in a pot of boiling water.

"So," she began, "how are you? We've never met before, so this may be a bit of a surprise."

"You've been on Paradise Island. I imagine that you've been busy training. When you came to see Conner, I was otherwise occupied."

"Where did you go?" she asked curiously. "It drove Kal crazy that he couldn't find you."

"I needed some time alone."

There was a pause.

"Um, don't you want to know why I'm here?" she asked.

"I figure you'll tell me when you're ready," Max said. "Your eggs are ready."

Max presented her with two hard-boiled eggs.

"Why didn't you cook them with your heat vision?" she asked. "It would have been faster."

"I don't have heat vision. In any event, the Kents have a policy of not using powers to do chores."

Kara gave him a disbelieving look. "How can you stand that? I'd go crazy if I couldn't use my powers!"

"When I first came here, I didn't have the ability to use my powers. Regardless, I try to use them only when it's necessary."

"I, um, have a request to make of you. Will you do it?"

"Please let me know what you'd like me to do, and I'll decide."

"I'd like you to go talk to Kor-El. I really think that'll help him."

"Who is Kor-El?"

"He's the adult version of you and Conner."

"I wasn't aware that he had a name."

"Kal gave it to him. He and I have gone and talked to him a few times. He's really trying to be his own person."

"You are aware that he tried to kill me? I'm not sure that he'd want to talk to me."

"He's a lot better now! I think if he talks to you, it'll help him get over what's keeping him back. He wants to talk to you!"

Max paused. "Are you aware that I crushed the illusions that he was implanted with? He was under the impression that he was from the future and he had a purpose. I took that away from him. He hates me."

"Nonsense! That's all in the past. Come on, talk to him! Please!"

Max sighed. "I have serious misgivings about it. However, I will go talk to him."

"I'm sure it'll go great!"

* * *

"Do you want me to come with you?" Conner asked. 

Max smiled slightly. "That shouldn't be necessary."

A thought occurred to Max. "Have you been to talk to him?"

Conner looked slightly guilty. "I have. He didn't say that much, just that he was trying to find his purpose."

Max spent half a moment to compose himself. "I'm ready."

Max entered the detention center. Behind a plexiglass wall was the more developed clone that had tried to kill him. The cell was lit with specially designed lamps that put out a wavelength that he couldn't absorb. Were Max under that light, he would be unable to replenish the energy his powers used.

"Hello, Kor-El," he said, his voice not revealing the tension he felt. "How are you doing?"

"Match," the man greeted him. "It's been a long time since I've seen you. You're looking well."

"Thank you."

"What's your other name?"

"Excuse me, I don't understand."

"Your Kryptonian name. I'm Kor-El, what's yours?"

"I don't have one."

Kor-El smiled. "Why do you suppose Kal-El gave me one while he didn't give one to you?"

"I wouldn't want to speculate."

"Maybe he doesn't care for you as much as he cares for me."

Match was aware that the security cameras were capturing this exchange. He refused to let Kor-El make him angry.

"That's a possibility," he heard himself say.

"I've got an idea! Why don't I give you a Kryptonian name? From the stories I've heard, there's a relative to name you after."

"What would that be?"

"Kru-El. That'll be your name from now on."

Match refused to flinch. "Why did you want to see me?"

"After you revealed my true origin, I was adrift. Everything I had believed in was a lie. I needed a purpose, something to strive for. Thanks to you, I've found one."

"What's that?"

Kor-El stared at Match with eyes full of rage. "I'm going to destroy you. I'm going to dismantle you piece by piece, Kru-El. You're going to wish that you were never created."

Match silently regarded him and then walked away.

"You'll beg me for death, Kru-El! You'll see!"

Match did not look back as he left the detention area.

* * *

Conner caught up with Max as he left. "Are you okay?" 

Max had an anguished look in his eyes. "Am I that bad? I must be to incite such hatred."

"You're not," Conner replied forcefully. "Kor-El is sick. Something's wrong with him. You can't listen to him."

"But-"

"No! No buts! You're a good person, Max. I know you are."

------

Any and all comments welcome!


	5. The Camping Trip

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Reestablishing Bonds, chapter 5

Clark made a surprise appearance at his parent's farm. Conner had been expecting it after Max's disastrous meeting with Kor-El.

"I have some news for you two," Clark told Conner and Max. "We're going to go camping this weekend."

"Where?" Max asked, taking the news in stride.

"Hold on, don't you think you should have given us some warning?" Conner asked. "You know that I normally meet with the Titans on the weekend."

"I thought it would be a good bonding experience," Clark said.

"Are we the only people going?" asked Max.

"There are two others," Clark said. "One of them is an old friend of mine. The other one is a boy that's around your age."

"I still think you should have let us know earlier," Conner grumbled.

"I'm sorry," Clark apologized. "I'll be sure to do that next time."

* * *

Conner was still a bit perturbed when they met the other campers in the parking lot. Clark wanted the experience to be as normal as possible, so Conner and Max went to Clark and Lois' apartment the night before and they got up at 5 AM to drive three hours to meet the others. Clark had attempted to get the two to join in on some traditional driving songs, but he stopped at ninety-seven bottles of beer when he realized that the two weren't singing. 

Conner took some comfort in the fact that the other boy their age didn't look like he wanted to be there. As he got closer, he was shocked to recognize the other boy. It was Tim!

Tim was surprised to see Conner as well, but he hid it a little better. Tim seemed a bit more upbeat about the trip after recognizing Conner. Conner realized that his attitude had improved as well.

Clark made introductions. "This is Mr. Grayson and his friend, Tim. These are my cousins Conner and Max."

"Call me Dick," Grayson said, sticking his hand out.

Conner shook his hand and examined him. He was a good-looking guy with dark hair and an athletic build. Conner didn't think Batman was the type to go on a camping trip, so this was probably Nightwing.

As Max was shaking Dick's hand, Conner realized that Max was the only one who wasn't aware of their other identities. That could make things awkward.

"There's a good campsite about eight miles away," Clark said. "I thought we'd set up there."

"Wait, you want me to take all our gear eight miles before setting up?" Conner asked.

"It won't be that bad," Dick said. "We'll be there before you know it."

"What's wrong with the sites here?" Tim asked.

"They're not near anything," Clark explained. "This other spot has lots of things close by to it."

"It's better to have a long hike at the beginning and end rather than to be constantly making them," Max said.

Conner gave Max a look. "Stop using logic! I'm allowed to have a poor reaction to an eight mile hike before noon!"

Tim shook his head. "I agree with Conner's sentiment though Max's logic is impeccable."

"Eight miles isn't that bad," Dick said. "I've done worse."

"In snow up to my neck," Tim joked.

"Uphill," Conner added.

"Both ways," Max said without cracking a smile.

Clark and Dick gave the three of them a look and chuckled.

* * *

A couple of miles into the hike, Clark, Conner, Dick, and Tim were all dancing around how much they were admitting they knew. It was clear that each of them knew each other's identity and was pretty certain that the other three knew, but didn't think Max knew. They were skirting the topic but not addressing it. 

Out of the blue, Max asked, "Is there something you'd like to admit?"

Clark started. "What do you mean?"

"There's no one else around here. Do you really want to continue avoiding what you all know?"

Conner saw a little smirk on Max's face. "You know, don't you?"

"That Tim is Robin and Dick is Nightwing? And that they're aware of our identities as well? Yes, I am."

Tim asked, "How do you know?"

"If you're going to maintain a secret identity, having that identity appear unmasked on all the news programs is not the way to do it. You were quite a cause celebre over the Gotham quake incident."

Tim looked horrified. "It's that obvious?"

"I've seen you in costume in good lighting. Your facial structure and build match. I don't think it's obvious to people who haven't seen you in that sort of lighting."

"What about me?" Dick asked. "Is it the same for me?"

Max nodded. "It's very much the same. I think any quality facial recognition software would do it. Before you ask, I have made the logical deduction."

"Oh," Dick said, looking anxious. "Can we-"

"I will keep all the secrets."

Dick and Tim looked relieved.

"What's the logical deduction?" Conner asked.

"Batman's identity," Max replied.

"You know? I don't know who he is."

"It's not my secret to tell. If he allows it, I'd tell you."

"That's not likely," Dick said. "Max, do either of your, er, former employers know?"

"That's an elegant way to refer to them," Max commented. "No, they do not know. The Agenda was never interested in anything I said, and the Groups only talked to me about missions. Neither of them ever asked, and I didn't volunteer any information."

There was a pause.

"I should admit that there's another reason I wanted everyone on this trip," Clark said. "After the recent...happenings, I wanted to have the opportunity to clear the air. Even if Batman and I are having problems with each other, it doesn't mean that the rest of you can't talk to me if you want."

"Wow," Tim said. "I never thought you'd be so...concerned. I didn't know this side of you existed; you always seem so larger than life to me."

"You've never worked with him, Tim," Dick said. "He really is a down-to-earth guy. He was one of my role models growing up."

Tim gave Dick a shocked look. "I didn't know that!"

Dick nodded. "There was a time when Batman wasn't so uptight about having metahumans in Gotham. He and Superman worked together quite a bit before the Justice League."

Conner said quietly, "I want to apologize again. I broke your arm, Tim. I'm sorry."

"You weren't in control of your actions," Tim said. "It's not your fault."

"I can still remember everything I did in vivid detail."

"Don't beat yourself up over it. It was Luthor's fault. He's the one that I blame."

There was another pause.

"I suppose that I should apologize for everything that I did," Max said. "It was not my personal desire to do any of that."

Tim gave Max a look. "You have powers. How could they have forced you to do anything?"

Conner winced. He had an idea about what happened to his brother while the others did not.

Max replied blandly, "People have their ways."

* * *

With the revelation that their secret identities were all known to each other, the hike was much less tense. Conner and Tim joked around. Clark and Dick caught up; they hadn't talked in quite some time. Max was normally quiet, but he made a few comments and observations. 

They reached their campsite and began setting up their tent. Clark had bought a new one that would accommodate all of them. He tried putting it up, but didn't follow the instructions very well. Tim and Conner ended up disassembling it and putting it back up. Dick and Max ended up preparing lunch.

While eating, Max's eyes suddenly widened, and he brought his hands to his mouth.

"Are you okay?" asked Conner.

"Nothing's stuck in his throat," Clark reported after checking with his x-ray vision.

"I, I can-" Max began before he broke off.

"You can what?" asked Tim. "Dick, was there anything in the food? Maybe this is an allergic reaction."

"He helped me make it!" Dick defended himself. "If there was something that he would have been allergic to, he would have told me!"

Max tried again. "I can...taste everything. The coriander, basil, cumin, all of it."

"There wasn't that much in it," Dick said skeptically.

Clark's eyes widened. "I get it! You've developed another enhanced sense! This time, it's taste. I had a similar reaction when I first developed mine."

"Is this why you douse everything in ketchup?" Max asked. "It's overwhelming. There's so much flavor that I never knew about before."

Clark blushed. "I like ketchup. It goes with everything."

Conner laughed.

"Maybe you should eat some bland foods until you get used to it," Tim suggested. "It should be easier to deal with."

"That makes sense, but I'm not going to do it," Max replied. "I'm not going to let a little sensitivity get in the way of how I live."

Conner sighed in relief. "That's good to hear. He's the cook back at home, and I don't want him making bland stuff all the time."

"This has to be one of the worst powers ever," Max complained. "I'm tired of getting super senses. Where's my heat vision?"

"I'm sure that there are some good uses of this power," Dick said diplomatically.

"Let me tell you exactly what's in the secret sauce," Max retorted. "I bet I can figure out Soder Cola's formula. I have a wonderful future as a food critic ahead of me."

"I don't think I've ever seen this side of you before," Tim commented. "You're always so collected and serious. It's like you're an entirely different person."

"I've always been a bit uncomfortable around the Titans," Max admitted. "I deceived some of you before and knew that you were angry over it."

"That's not true!" Tim protested.

Conner started coughing at that.

Tim shot him a look. "I don't mean to carry a grudge; it just sort of happened."

"It's understandable," Max said. "I did impersonate Conner and take advantage of you. That's not an action that inspires trust."

"Max, you implied you were coerced," Dick said. "Can you elaborate on that? I think it would help me to understand you."

Max put on a bland smile. "Maybe later. I don't want to talk about it now."

* * *

The day passed with the five taking a short hike to see the surrounding area. It was a little bit of a tight fit of all of them in the tent, but they managed. 

Dick woke up in the middle of the night. He looked at his watch and groaned to himself. It was far too early to be awake, but his body's internal clock was on a nocturnal schedule. He looked over at the others to see if they were still sleeping. They were.

Dick frowned. Someone wasn't in the tent. A quick check showed that it was Max who was missing. Dick quietly got out of the tent to look for him. Max was close to the camp, reading a book with a flashlight.

"What's wrong?" Dick asked. "Couldn't you sleep?"

Max shrugged. "I don't sleep much under the best of circumstances. Sleeping all mashed together like that wasn't pleasant. What about you?"

"I'm used to a night-time schedule. Why don't you sleep much?"

"An unpleasant recurring dream."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's merely events that happened in the past. It's not important."

"How often do you have this dream?"

"Every night."

Dick stared at him. "That's not good. It must be something important; you shouldn't ignore it."

"It's a side-effect of having a photographic memory. Eventually there will be memories that supplant it."

Dick shook his head. "Are you sure you don't have Batman's genetic material? That sounds like something he'd say."

"You disagree."

"One of the reasons for friends and family is so you can share the good times and the bad. We can share in your happiness and help to ease your sorrow."

"I don't want to burden others. When I told Conner, he was...unsettled."

"Conner knows? So you have shared it with someone."

"He knows the generalities if not the specifics."

"Would you share those with me?"

"I was a piece of property to the Agenda, not a person. My feelings about actions were not considered."

"What-oh. You mean-"

"Yes. It...was unpleasant. I most likely did something to bring it upon myself."

Dick shook his head. "That's not true. Some people are just sick. They do what they do because they can. There's no excuse for them, no justification."

Max shrugged. "You might be right."

"I know I'm right. I've been around for longer than you have."

Max nodded.

"Try getting some more sleep," Dick said. "We've got a long day ahead of us."

* * *

The next day, they went on a hike by a river. 

"It's moving pretty quickly," Tim commented.

"That's normal for this time of year," Clark explained. "The snow on top of mountains is melting."

They heard a small splash and a voice shrieking, "Help!"

A little girl had fallen into the river, and she was headed towards them. Without pausing, Tim threw himself in the river and swam towards her. He was able to pass her to Dick before being carried off.

"Tim!" Dick shouted.

Max dove into the water to rescue Tim. He made his way to him and started to bring him towards the shore. Despite being a strong swimmer, it was difficult given the extra weight and speed of the river. Unfortunately, there were a number of people in the areas, so using powers was not an option.

He was beginning to worry that they'd slam into some of the rocks when he felt another arm support Tim's other side. He glanced over and saw Conner helping. With the added help, the three of them were able to make it to land. The three teens coughed up water for a little while.

Clark and Dick caught up with them. The girl and a woman came with them.

"Are you okay?" Clark asked anxiously.

Tim wearily gave a thumbs up, not trusting himself to speak yet.

"Thank you so much!" the woman exclaimed. "You saved my daughter! You're heroes!"

The little girl was crying, still frightened from her ordeal.

The five headed back towards their camp. The three teens were soaked and needed to get into some dry clothes.

"Thanks for saving me," Tim told Max and Conner. "I owe you."

Max said, "This just means it's your time to save us next time."

Tim gave Max a shocked look and then started laughing. It proved infectious, and all five of them were laughing as they made their way to camp.

* * *

The rest of the weekend passed without incident, and the five had a good time. 

"This was a great idea," Dick said. "We should try it again some time."

"I had more fun than I thought I was going to," Conner admitted.

"It was very enjoyable," Max said.

"High praise from Max," Tim quipped. "I had a good time."

Clark smiled. The weekend went better than he had hoped.

-----------

After Future Sins, I thought I needed to have a story that was a bit looser in structure. I also wanted to give the characters some quiet moments, rather than putting them through the wringer yet again.

I do wish I could claim credit for the wordplay of Kru-El. The name was actually used for a Silver Age Phantom Zone criminal, who was Superman's cousin.

My thanks to everyone who has commented on my stories. I have another one in the works that's a more focused one in the vein of Future Sins or Betrayal From Within.

Any and all comments welcome!


End file.
